OU Football Coach Brent Venables highlights 2023 Broncbuster Athletics Hall of Fame Class

Garden City, KS-The Garden City Community College Athletic Department announced today their 2023 Hall of Fame Class, which includes four new inductees: former football star, Brent Venables, basketball legend Darrin Hancock, United States Olympic track star, Darvis "Doc" Patton, and the 2003 Broncbuster women's basketball team led by Head Coach, Bobby Brasel. They were selected by a nine-member committee.

"This is a tremendous class," Director of Athletics, Mike Pilosof said in a statement. "When you think about the star power with each one of the inductees, it really is something. This is an incredible honor for all four, and it is well deserved."

This year's class is highlighted by Venables, who was a Junior College All-American linebacker at Garden City in 1990. The Salina, KS native recorded 276 career tackles before transferring to Kansas State in 1991. Following his playing career, Venables, 51, spent five years as an assistant coach for Bill Snyder at Kansas State before Bob Stoops hired him as the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma in 1999. After 12 years with the Sooners, the 2016 Broyles' Award winner, which is given annually to the top assistant coach in the country, was hired as the defensive coordinator and Associate Head Coach at Clemson under Dabo Swinney. That eventually paved the way for his big break when he was hired as the Head Coach at the University of Oklahoma in 2022. 

"Venables has been one of the best defensive minds in college football for more than two decades," Pilosof added. "And what's great is that every story you read about him, it always chronicles his start in Garden City."

Joining Venables is Hancock, who was considered one of the top Junior College recruits in the nation, earning NJCAA Player of the Year honors in 1992. He then transferred to the University of Kansas, where he played in the NCAA Final Four. In 1994, he was taken in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. 

"Hancock is a true Garden City legend," Pilosof explained. "Ask anyone who was here during that time, and they will say that besides Keith Smart, they have never seen a player like that come through Garden City. He was absolutely electric."

Patton was an eight-time Junior College All-American at Garden City who became a two-time U.S. Champion in the 200-meter dash. He won a silver medal at the 2003 World Championships and is a three-time Olympian. After graduating from Garden City, Patton earned a scholarship to Texas Christian University. He's now an assistant coach at Texas Wesleyan, and prior to that, he led All Saints Episcopal School in Fort Wayne to a fourth-place finish at the state championships in 2015. 

"Doc will go down as one of the best athletes to ever come out of Garden City," Pilosof said. "And his professional resume on the national level is second to none."

The story of the Cinderella 2003 Broncbuster women's basketball team has been on display for nearly two decades now. And it never gets old. Led by Jayhawk West Coach of the Year Bobby Brasel, who just one season prior to the '03 campaign, guided Garden City to its first winning season in six years, helped the Broncbusters to a west division crown and a 31-7 overall record. That included an 85-81 victory over Cowley in the Region VI Title game, earning them a spot in the National Tournament for only the second time in program history. 

"There have been a lot of great teams at this school," Pilosof said. "But that 2003 women's squad was loaded with the likes of Jasmine Irving and Chareka Terry."

Terry was named the Jayhawk West Most Valuable Player, and Irving garnered top freshman honors. Krystel Jim was also a third-team all-conference selection. 

The class will be inducted during a ceremony on Friday, Apr. 21 at Southwind Golf and Dining beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased in the administration office at the Perryman Athletic Complex, by  calling (620)-276-9606, or online at www.gobroncbusters.com.